Nutritional information for canned peaches and pineapple
Here are the nutrition facts from two cans of fruit. Both are Great Value brand from Wal-Mart.
Yellow cling sliced peaches
in heavy syrup:
Serving size -- 1/2 cup
Calories -- 100
Total fat -- 0%Cholesterol -- 0%
Sodium -- 0%
Potassium -- 4%
Total Carbs -- 7%
Dietary fiber -- 0%
Vitamin A -- 2%
Vitamin C -- 2%
Calcium -- 0%
Iron -- 0%
Folic acid -- 0%
Pineapple chunks
in unsweetened pineapple juice:
Serving size -- 1/2 cup
Calories -- 70
Total fat -- 0%
Cholesterol -- 0%
Sodium -- 0%
Potassium -- 4%
Total Carbs -- 6%
Dietary fiber -- 4%
Vitamin A -- 0%
Vitamin C -- 20%
Calcium -- 0%
Iron -- 2%
Folic acid -- 0%
I suppose Great Value canned peaches are better for you than, let's say, chocolate bonbons. However, they're not exactly nutrient-laden They are minimally more nutritious than a glass of Kool-Aid. Let's hope that, maybe, peaches contain some trace minerals that aren't listed on the label.
Some other brands of canned peaches, including Del Monte, contain 8 to 10% of the RDA for Vitamin C.
In comparison, canned pineapple delivers a good dose of Vitamin C and a small amount of fiber. I've noticed that the Vitamin C content is about the same (around 20% of the RDA) across most of the brands of canned pineapple.
Somehow, pineapple manages to retain more Vitamin C despite the canning process. Maybe it's because of the acidity of pineapple. I suspect that being canned in juice (instead of syrup) boosts the Vitamin C, as well.
I found the information below on a website sponsored by peach growers. The quantities are like for like (1/2 cup). But it seems that whichever way you play it the peach has not got a lot going for it nutritionally. Still, I do like them and find them tasty and refreshing.
ReplyDeleteCalories 35 % Daily Value*
Total Fat 0 grams 0 %
Saturated fat 0 grams 0 %
Cholesterol 0 grams 0 %
Sodium 0 milligrams 0 %
Potassium 331 milligrams 5 %
Total carbohydrate 10 grams 3 %
Dietary fiber .5 gram 4 %
Sugars 8 gram
Protein .5 gram
Vitamin A 10%
Vitamin C 10%
That's much better than canned peaches. Obviously, with peaches, the raw, fresh peach is the more nutritious choice.
ReplyDeleteSome canned fruits use ascorbic acid as a stabilizer (preservative). Its a cheap form of vitamin C, and it sounds better than butylated hydroxyanisole!
ReplyDeleteI used ascorbic acid back in my glory days when I canned a lot of applesauce. I don't know how much it helped the Vitamin C content, but it surely didn't hurt it. Applesauce is another of those canned fruit products that doesn't have much nutrition.
ReplyDelete